Patty forming machine



June 4, 1940. F, C, BAUER i PATTY FORMING MACHINE Filed Sept. 19, 19:58`2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 4, 1940. F. c. BAUER PATTY FORMING MACHINE FiledSept. 19, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gnam/who@ Patented June 4, 1940 UNITEDsTATEs PATENT OFFICE A Claims. l The invention relates to a machine forforming patties of hamburger steak and the like and.

more particularly to a power driven machine which will quickly formthefpatties of uniform 5 size. shape and weight and convey the formedpatties away from the machine as they are discharged therefrom.

The object of the invention is to provide a machine for rapidly andeconomically forming 1 patties of hamburger steak orJthe like of uni-*-form size, shape and weight; v t

Another object is to provide a machine of this character in whichtheground meat may be continuously discharged from a cylinder by meansof a piston or plunger through a reduced outlet opening into moldcavities in a continuously rotating forming plate which `rotates througha portion of each revolution between top and bottom plates, the formedpatties being discharged 20 from the mold cavities by gravity as theform- T lng plate passes from between the top and'boti tom plates.4Another object is to provide a machine of this character in whichthepiston or plunger is opf erated by means of a hydraulic jack having asafety pressure regulator .associated i therewith to prevent injury tothe machine in the event the rotation of the forming plate is stoppedduring the' time the hydraulic jack is operating.

Another object is to provide means for detachably connecting the top andbottom plates andthe rotatable-forming plate to the upper open end ofthe cylinder whereby ground meat or the like may'be charged into thecylinder.

35 A furtherobiect is to provide a machine of the character referred toin which the plunger is operated by aL single acting hydraulic jackprovided with a releasingV valve and spring means to return the plungerto the initial position. i

The above objects together with others which will be apparent from thedrawings and following description or which may be later referred to maybe attained by constructing the improved patty forming machine'in themanner illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure l is atop plan view of a patty forming machine embodying the inventionwithparts broken away for the purpose of illustration;

Fig. 2, a side elevation of the machine with a portion of the housing`broken away to illustrate the mechanism therein;

Fig. 3, a vertical sectional view through the improved machine takensubstantially on the line taken substantially on 4the line 4-4, Fig. 2;

and 1 I Fig. 5, a fragmentary elevation showing the o safety pressureregulator for the hydraulic jack.

Fig. 4, a fragmentary transverse sectional view (Cl. T- 8) Similarnumerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

The machine may be mounted upon a base or platform Il which may beplaced upon a table, counter or other suitable support.

The cylinder il is open at its upper and lower ends and may be mountedin vertical position and spaced above the platform or base as by thelegs l2, which may be bolted or otherwise conjnected to the platform asindicated at i3.

A single acting hydraulic jack is concentrically located within thelower open end of the cylinder ll and comprises thejack cylinder I4attached -to the base and provided with the piston rod Y I5, which maybe connected to the ejection piston or plunger i6 of the cylinder il.

A pair of pull springs l1 may be connected at their upper ends to theejection piston or plunger i6 and at their lower ends to the base orplatform lll for `returning the piston to the initial position when therelease valve i8 is operted to release the oil pressure in .the jack.

The hydraulicjack may be provided with the usual pump i9communicating-with the jack cylinder I4 in usual and well-known mannerand communicating as by pipev with a pressure gauge 2l and a safetypressure regulator 22 from which the oil is returned through a pipe 23to the usual oil reservoir in the jack i4.

For the purpose of operating the mechanism an `electric motor 24 may bemounted upon a support or bracket 25 fixed upon the base iii, the shaft26 of the motor being connected to any conventional reduction gearingmounted within the housing 21.

A shaft 28 leads from the reduction gearing and is journaled in suitablebearings 29 mounted upon the base and is provided with an eccentric 30cooperating with an eccentric band 3| operatively associated with thepump i9.

A bevel pinion 32 is fixed upon the shaft 28 and meshes with a bevelgear 33 fixed upon the vertical shaft 34 journaled in the bearing 35mounted upon the base Ill and in the bearing 36 mounted upon a bracket3l connected to the fiange plate 38 fixed to the cylinder Il near theupper end thereof.

A bevel pinion 39 is fixed upon the shaft 34 and meshes with the bevelpinion 40 mounted upon .a short shaft journaued in the bearing 4| whichis attached to the side wall of the housing 42 as by the bracket 43, aworm screw 44 being formed upon said shaft and meshing with the wormlwheel .45 upon a shaft 46 which is journaled in bearings 41 carried byone side wall ofthe housirg 42, a roller 43 being -xed upon said shaft Asimilar idler roller 43 is mounted upon a shaft 50 journaled in bearings5I, which may be connected to the other side of the housing size andshape to produce the desired 42, and an endless conveyor belt l2 islocated 'around said rollers, the upperstrand oi the belt member 56 asby a. spring 50 linterposed between the clutch member 51 and the bearing36.

An operating lever 59 is fulcrumed as at 60 upon the bracket 3l and isconnected as by a link 6I to the clutch member 51 whereby the same maybe moved out of engagement with lthe clutch member 56.

At the top of the cylinder Il is located an assembly comprising thebottom plate 62 .and top plate 63 between which is Journaled therotatable forming plate 64 pivoted to the top andY bottom plates as bythe post 65 and provided with a plurality of mold cavities or openings66 of a form oi patty.

' mold cavities 'I'he top and bottom plates are connected together as bythe bolts 61 and the forward end of the top plate may be tapered as at68.

The bottom plate 62 may be hingedly connected to the flange plate as bythe hinge 69,'and in order to hold the assembly inr position upon thetop of the cylinder an eccentric latch 10 may be pivoted as at 1l uponthe flange plate 38 and adapted to be received in a notch 12 in' thepost 65 in order to lock the assembly in closed position upon thecylinder.

The periphery of the rotatable forming plate 54 may be provided withgear teeth 13 meshing with the pinion 55.

-In operating the machine, the ejection plunger I6 is retracted and thetop assembly comprising the bottom and top plates 62 and 63 and theinterposed rotatable forming plate 64 is unlocked and swung open uponitshinge so that the cylinder may be filled with ground meat or otherma` terial to be formed into patties.

'I'he top assembly is then closed and locked in the position shown inFig. 3, the motor 24 is start- `ed and the clutch 56-51 is thrown incausing the machine to operate to automatically form patties of desiredsize and shape and discharge the patties from the machine and conveythem away.

The pump I9 operates the hydraulic jack in usual and ordinary manner toraise th'e ejection piston I6 in the cylinder Il forcing the ground meatthrough the opening 14 in the bottom plate 62 and as the forming plate64 is revolved theV meat is forced through the opening 14 into the 66 ofthe forming plate, the thickness and diameter of each patty beinguniform.

As each filled moldl cavity passes forward beyond the front edgev of thelower plate 82, the patty formed therein drops by gravity onto theconveyor belt 52 and is carried away. In vthe event the clutch is-thrownout and the motor continues to operate the safety pressure regulator 22will prevent the pressure in the cylinder Il from building up beyond thedanger point.

' 1 I claim.

1. A patty forming machine including an up- -and provided with pattyforming openings extending entirely therethrough, the lower plate ofsaid spaced pair having an opening adapted .to successively registerwith each of said patty forming openings, one side of the forming plateextending beyond said spaced plates whereby patties formed in saidopenin will drop therefrom by gravity, said spaced pla es and formingplate being hinged as a unit upon the cylinder, and means for movingsaid piston upwardly and simultaneously rotating said forming plate. l

2. A patty forming machine including an upright cylinder, an ejectionpiston in, a spaced pair of plates at the upper or discharge end of thecylinder, a rotatable forming plate having a sliding flt between saidplates, and provided with patty forming openings extending entirelytherethrough, the lower plate of said spaced pair having an openingadapted to successively register with each of said patty formingopenings, one side of the forming plate extending beyond said spacedplates whereby patties formed in said openings will drop therefrom bygravity, said spaced plates and forming plate being hinged at one sideas a unit to the cylinder, means for detachably connecting the otherside of the spacedplates and forming plate to the cylinder,

and means for moving said piston upwardly and simultaneously rotatingsaid forming plate.

3. A patty forming machine including an upright cylinder, an ejectionpiston movable therein, a spaced pair of plates at the upper ordischarge end oi' the cylinder, a rotatable forming plate having asliding fit between said plates, and provided with patty formingopenings extending entirely therethrough, the lower plate of said spacedpair having an opening adapted to successively register with each ofsaidpatty forming openings, one side of the forming plate extending beyondsaid spaced plates whereby patties formed in said openings will droptherefrom by gravity, means for moving said piston upwardly andsimultaneously rotating said forming plate, and means for stopping therotation of said forming plate while the piston is operating.

4. A patty forming machine including an upright cylinder,.an ejectionpiston movable therein, a spaced pair of plates at'the upper ordischarge end -of the cylinder, av rotatable forming plate having asliding nt between said plates, and provided with patty forming openingsextending entirely therethrough, the lower plate of said spaced pairhaving an opening adapted to successively register with each of saidpatty forming openings, one side of the forming plate extending beyondsaid spaced plates whereby patties formed in said openings will droptherefrom by gravity, means for moving said piston and rotating saidforming plate, means for stopping the rotation of said forming platewhile the piston is operating, and means for releasing the pressure uponthe piston.

5. A patty forming machine as described in claim 3 in which the therotatable forming plate are smaller than the FREDRICK c. BAUER.

movable therepatty forming openings in 'lol

